If we protect our computer systems with spam filters and virus protection and firewalls and the like, why do we so quickly download such awful garbage into the most important memory storage system we will ever own?

Perhaps you’ve wondered how blogging has affected the lives of bloggers. There are, of course, 6 and 7-figure income bloggers. There are world-traveling bloggers. Blogging has brought notoriety and book-signing deals and public stages for many. But for me, the most obvious reward has been a boost to my personal happiness. Perhaps yours can be enhanced by blogging as well. Click here to see how blogging can improve happiness.

Life has a way of getting in the way of our plans and mixing things up a bit. And that’s okay. What matters most about life’s little sucker punches is the way we deal with them and the lessons we learn because of them. Here are 4 life-lessons I’ve recently been thinking about since a special event in our lives.

Belief is the blanket we wrap ourselves in when life seems cold and dark and harsh. It is the hope that shines in the darkened tunnels of life. It is a framework, a map and a marker on the path we choose to travel. It unlocks doors and oils hinges and greases paths. But it’s only the starting point.

Do you regularly interact with the chronically negative? Is there someone in your life who whines and moans and complains about everything, predicting doom and gloom around every corner, seeing dark clouds brooding in every silver lining? If you do, you don’t need me to tell you how draining it can be. But how can you protect your own happiness around such regular negativity?

As a high school teacher, I send almost 200 kids off into the world every year to try figure out where they fit in the world. But if I’ve merely taught them the finer points of the subjects I teach, I believe I’ve failed them. The following words are a more polished version of what I share with them each year on the last day of class.

When life gets dark and dreary, when the clouds of discontent swell and burst hard upon you with so much utter violence and ferocity you can scarcely take it anymore, let this simple poem inspire you through the toughest parts of your most challenging moments.